A variety of faucets and faucet handles are commonly used for controlling water flow into sinks, bathtubs, etc. These faucets and faucet handles are often provided in different shapes and are generally made of metals such as, e.g., steel or brass. In order to enhance the aesthetics of these accessories, decorative faucets and faucet handles have been suggested and described in some prior art patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,766 issued to Richard K. Cohen on Oct. 31, 1989 describes a decorative faucet handle for mounting on any conventional faucet stem. The faucet handle may be in a decorative shape such as an inanimate figure, a fish, a frog, a duck, a bird, etc., and is generally made of brass.
Other types of faucets have been described which are aimed at enhancing their appeal to consumers. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,139 issued to Richard M. Wainwright on Oct. 12, 1982 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,078 issued to Thomas Yeh on Jan. 9, 1996. The Yeh patent describes a water faucet-fitting seat terminating in a cow head and includes an electrical circuit preprogrammed to produce the “Moo-Moo” howl of the cow.
A combination toy and faucet fountain is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,956 issued to William C. Crutch on Aug. 16, 1994. The faucet fountain comprises faucet fountain core including a tubular body enclosed by a hollow jacket having a fanciful object molded on its exterior surface. The molded object may be a nose on the face of a clown, and the clown's face is painted on the exterior surface of the jacket, all as shown in FIGS. 1-4 of said patent and described with reference to these figures.
A more recent patent, i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,598 issued to Ruth Ann Black on Mar. 27, 2001 describes a protective covers for covering the knobs and spouts of bathtubs and showers and in FIG. 3 shows an elephant having a front wall forming its face and ears, and a spout cover shaped into a trunk of the elephant.
Different shaped plumbing accessories are also featured in various design patents such as, e.g., Des. 298,161 issued to Michael A. Garcia on Oct. 18, 1988; Des. 305,926 issued to Michael J. Buther on Feb. 6, 1990; Des. 326,312 and Des. 326,312, both issued to Gail B. Frankel on May 19, 1992; Des. 378,232 issued to Gail B. Frankel on Feb. 25, 1997 and U.S. D465,095 issued to Rachelle Siefken on Oct. 29, 2002.
None of the aforementioned patents, and so far as it is known no other patents are known which disclose the use of plastic or plastic toys or figurines which are molded onto metal parts to form a unitary integral structure which can be used as the operative part of the faucets and faucet handles.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide faucets and faucet handles formed of plastic and metal molded together to define an operative unitary integral structure designed to manipulate the flow of hot water and cold water.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide bathtub faucets and faucet handles formed of plastic figurines molded onto metal to form an operative structure of the assembly which has considerable consumer appeal.
The foregoing and other features of the present invention will be more fully comprehended from the ensuing detailed description with reference to the various drawings herein.